Uniting wooden strips



A.l L. FUREVIAN. UNITING WOODEN STRIPS. ArrucArloN FILED www12. |920 Patented Feb. s, 1921 INVEhHQ os L. F6301 A To all iii/0m it moy 'concer/1t.'

retenir Application inea May 12,

Be it known that IQIAMos L. Fonnmama citizen of the United States, residing in York, Pennsylvanial, have invented eertain lmproyjenients in Uniting 1Wooden Strips, of which the following` is aspecification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in means for uniting wooden strips Where embodied in such constructions, for instance, as boxyerate or tank Walls, the objeet ofniy invention being to provide unit-- 'ing'means which will `be simple inveonstruetion', easy to install and `will firmly and securely unite the' `wooden strips but at the same time will yield in the event of undue pressure being exerted should the Wood become Wet and. consequently, sivell.

My invention `is illustrated. in detail. in the accompanying drawing, in Which- Figure 1 is a Vertical sectional View of a, set or series di wooden strips, united by means constructed in accordance with my invention; p

Fig. 2 is a transverse seetional View on the line 2;-2, Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a trzinsverse sectional View on the line 3-3. Fig. l;

Fig. lis a perspective View of one element of the uniting means;

Fig. 5 is a 'View similar to Fig. 4 but showing tbe opposite side of the member therein illustrated, and

Fig. (3 is a vertical sectional View similar to a. portion oi' Fig. l. but illustrating eertain fmtures of construction in greater detail.

Referring, first, to Fig. l. there is shown a wall built up of wooden strips l, 4l. 5 and G. Passing longitudinally through axially nlined openings in said strips is a metallic Jtube 7 preferably of sheet steel. threaded. internally7 at its ends ior the reeeption of externally threaded screws 8 and 9. The head of the serenT S bears against the. base ot a eountersuuk oi'iening Se in the upper edge of the strip l and the/head ot the serew 9 bears against the base oi' a eorresponding opening il in the lower edge of the strip (i.

.The four strips l, 4. 5 and G are. through the medium ot thel tube. 7 and screws 8 and 9. firmly and securely united.

The. tube 7 is a longitudinally split tube. there being a split lli traversiilg it trom end' to end, as shown in Fig. 4t. The reasons tor making use of such a longitudinally split Specification of Letters Patent.;

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Y. .i .rien-tigri lfeb. .53. ilifili. 1920. serial nejeaoee. y KHjfl' tube are many First; it `is siisoelitible' easy insertion into the: `'ope'nin j in lthe Wooden strips. This may' be on aeeinint of the tact that the lsplit tube isradialli7 coni# pressible,y or the tube may be made a trifle smaller than the openings. in Whielreasii'the insertion. of the screws will beklepeiided upon to radially expand .the tube lso 'that' i E Will grip the' inner walls oi the openin "in the wooden strips. Second. tok fun ionA properly it is necessary thatthe tube bei'ioiil rotatably mounted in thestrips. rl`hefsplit tube. o1 itself. possesses this teature. i The edges, at the split l0. bite into the wdodexn walls of the openings in 'the .strips and thereby resist any tendenfjy. on the part ot the tube, vto'turn. Third. .uul'niost inipon tant. when used in the eonstriirtion o the falls of tanks. bottle Crates 'or other articles which, at times. become wet. the split tube enables the uniting means to expand. longitudinally. when the wetting ot the Wooden strips causes them to so expand that undue pressure is exerted upon the heads oit the screws 8 :ind 9. rihe manner in which this longitudinal expansion ot' the uniting means takes place is as follows: As the Wooden strips become wet. they expand aeross the grain, and beome. to a greater or less extent. softened sind yielding. As the pressure of the Cross grain expansion is exerted upon the heads ot' thf.` screws 8 and vS the external threads ot said screws art eamwise. upon the internal threads formed in the inner face ot the split tube Vi'. lVhen the pressure becomes suflieiently great. the tube is expanded 'adially by this cam aetiou. overtron'iing the side resistanee o'l the softened and yielding walls ot the openings and the strips. thereby permitting either or both ot' the screws to jump a thread. The longitudinal pressure is thus relieved and the Vtube again resumes its normal position. The radial expansion of the tube permits jumping oi' 'threads without impairment ot the latter.V lllitl'iout sueh radial expansion. threads might` and probably would. be strii'iped.

Radial expansion nl' the tube may be faeilitated and rendered easier by providing the threaded end portions oi` the tube with one or more supplementary longitiulinai slots 11. asbest shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Jumping of threads may likewise be tacilitated and rendered by cutting the vof iin I threads in the inside of the tube 7 to but partial depth, as shown in Fig. 6. In order to permitjumping a less degree of radial expansion of the tube will be necessary than 6 were the threads-of full depth.

Uf course, should the wooden strips later dry out with consequent shrinkage, it would be desirable to` again tighten the screws 8 and 9, whichmay readily be accomplished.

It is, of course,obvious that one of the screws 8 or S) may be dispensed with, in which case, a bearing head would be formed directly on one end of the tube 7 itself. and the single screw would eoperate with theI other end of said tube.

I claim:

1. The combination, in longitudinally expandible means for uniting wooden strips, of a radially expandible metallic tube 1nternally threaded at one end and an externallyI threaded screw engaging therewith.

2. The combination, in longitudinally expandible means for uniting wooden strips, of a'radially expandible metallicl tube internally threaded at its ends and externally threaded screws engaging therewith.

t 3. The combination, in longiturlinally expandible means for uniting wooden strips, of a longitudinally split radially expandible metallic tube internally threaded at one end and an externally threaded screw engaging therewith.

4. The combination, in longitudinally expandble means for uniting wooden strips, of a longitudinally splitradially expandible metallic tube internally threaded at its ends and externally threaded screws engaging therewith.

5. The combination, in longitudinally ex-v pandible means for uniting wooden strips, of a longitudinally split radially expandible metallic tube internally threaded at one end and an externally threaded screw engaging therewith, said tube. having a supplementary split extending longitudinally through the threadedportion thereof.

6. The combination, in longitudinally expandible means for uniting wooden strips, of a longitudinally split radially expandible metallic tube internally threaded at its ends and externally threaded screws engaging therewith, said tube having supplementary splits extending longitudinally through the threaded portion thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

'AMOS L. FOREMAVN. 

